Improvement in seeding-machines



' H'. THOM'ASON.

Seed Pianter.

lPatented Jan. 6, 1863.

Inventor,

AM. PHOTO-LITRO, C0. N.Y. (OSBBRNE'S PENE-SS) Unirse @autres Farrar erica.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEEDING-MACHINES.

Specilcation forming part of Leiters Patent No. 37,3EH. daied January (i, ISG

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HENRY THoMAsoN, of Lafayette, in the county of Tippecanoe and State of Indiana, have invented a new and Improved Seeding-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this speciiieation, in whieh l Figure l is a side sectional view of my invention, taken in the line x or, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a horizontal section of the saine, taken in the line X X, Fig. l, Fig. 3, a detached vertical section of one of the shovels or shares with its concomitant parts; Fig. 4, a detached side and edge view of one of the seed-distributing wheels.

Similar4 letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures.

This invention relates to a new and ini- 'proved seeddrillof that class designed for sowing seed either for a distinct crop on ground -specially prepared for it, or for sowing it between the rows of standing corn or other crops -which are grown in hills or drills.

DTo enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

Arepresents what may be termed the main frame of the machine, consisting of two parallel beams, a a', placed one over the other, the lower beam, a', being longer than the upper one, c, and the former having two handles, b b, attached to it, which are braced from the upper beam, c, by rods c c.

B represents a vertical shaft, the lowerbearing of which is in the beam a', the upper bearing being :near the back end of the beam a. On this shaft B there are placed three bevelwheels, d d d, and into the lower one, d, a bevel-pinion, c, gears, said pinion being on a shaft, C, which is connected by a universal joint, f, with a shaft, D', also having a bevelpinion, g, upon it, which gears into a corresponding pinion, 7L, on the axle fi of the driving-wheel E, the latter being in the front part of the lower-beam, a', of the i'rameA. (See Figs. 1 and 2.)

F F represent two seed-boxes of rectangular forni and of any suitable len gth. These seedboxes have cleats j securedtransversely to their bottoms, and said cleats rest on plates or bars k, the front ends of which are secured to the l lower beam, a', by the shaft B, which passes through them. The outer parts of the 'plates or bars l.: are connected by vertical rods Z to the outer parts of bars mm, the front parts of which are secured to the back part of the beam a by a screw-bolt, n. The bars la in androds Z form frames. which support the seed-boxes, and these frames are allowed to turn freely ou the shaft B and bolt a as a center, the bolt 'n and shaft B being in line with each other.

In the lower part of each seed-box F there is placed longitudinally a shaft, G. These shafts have screw-threads cut on theni their entire length, and they have bevel-pinions o o on their inner ends, one of which, o, gears into the lower bevel-wheel, d, on the shaft B andthe other, 0, into the bevel`wheel el on Asaid shaft.

H is a seed-box, which is on the back part of the lower beam, c', and has a shaft, I, passing through it, said shaft having a bevel-pinion, 1i, on its front end, which gears into the upper wheel, d, on the shaft B.

On the shafts G G I there are placed seeddistributing wheels q. rlhese wheels are formed by cutting slots l into the edges of circular disks in an oblique direction and bending the portions 2 between the slots obliquely with the shafts. By this means buckets are formed, which carry up the seed or cause it to be distributed from the seed-boxes. These seed` boxes have holes 1' in their backs, through which the seed escapes into iiexible tubes s, and the capacity of said holes may be varied, as required, to regulate the discharge of the seed by means of slides i, which are itted between guides a at the inner surfaces of the backs of the seedboxes.

J represents the shovels or shares, which may be of the usual shape. These shovels or shares are formed at thelower ends of plates c, and to these plates n plates w are attached by hinges or joints ai (SeeFig. 3.) The plates w are provided with staples bh', which fit in slots cK in the upper ends of the plates n, and wooden pins di are tted in the staples, said plugs retaining the plates ein proper position. The plates w are fitted en pendent rods ex, attached to the plates la of the frames which support the seed-boxes, and are allowed to turn freely thereon, being supported at their upper ends by hooks am', and thefplates w, pertaining to each seed`boX F, are connected by rodsj' to a plate, K, the front ends of which are connected to the lower beam, c, of the frame A by a bolt, gx.

To the under side of each seed-box F there is attached by a bolt a bar, L. rlhese bars L extend forward to a point near the front end of the machine, and are connected to it by a bolt or any suitable fastening. The vertical rods Z ofthe bars 7c m have each a rod. or bar, iX, attached to them, and the back ends of these bars iX are connected to alever, M,which is connected by a fulcrum-pin, jd, to the back end of the bar a of the frame A, or to any fixture connected therewith. One of the rods or bars ix is attached to a lever, M, above its fulcrum-pin, and the other is attached below it, and by adjusting this lever it will be seen that the seed-boxes F F may be placed in a position more orless obliquely with each other, as .circumstances may require, or, in other words, to suit the width of the spaces between the rows of corn or other plants, the bars 'L being attached at one en d to admit of this adjustment of the seed-boxes. The lever Mis retained in the desired position by means of notches made in a guide, N, through which the lever passes. W'hen the seed-boxes F F are thus adjusted, the shovels or shares J are turned in consequence ofthe plate w being allowed to turn on the pendent rods 0X, and connected by the rods f X to the plates K. The bars L prevent the casual movement of the seed-boxes. By this means the shovels orplows may always be kept in proper position irrespective of the position of the seed-boxes F F.

The flexible tubes 5 are attached to theplates k by means of rings kx, and the seed-distributing wheels q, it will be seen, are rotated from the driving-wheel E by means of the gearing described. The flexible tubes convey the seed to the furrows made by the shovels or shares J.

The wheels q are secured on their shafts by means of nuts 15X, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, and in case ofa shovel or share coming in contact with any obstruction the wooden pins d will break and allow the shovels or shares to yield or give, and consequently to pass over the obstructions. The seed-boxH is provided with a ilexible tube, mx, arranged like the others previously described.

It will be seen that the gearing through which the seed-distributing wheels g are rotated is so arranged as to admit of the adjusting of the seed-boxes F F without affecting in the least its perfect operation. Every alternate shovel or shareJ may be detached, if desired. This 'may be necessary in sowing seed among standing corn.

Having thus described my invention,what1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Attaching the shovels or shares J to plates w, fitted loosely on pendent rods eX, attached to the plates L of the frames in which the seedboxes are secured, in connection with the plates K, having the plates w connected to them by rods f X, and the former secured to the beam a of the frame A, all arranged as and for the purpose of turning the shovels or shares, as specified.

2. The manner of constructing theseed-distributing wheels q, as described, to wit: by cutting slits in circular disks and bending the portions ofthe disks between the slits obliquely with their shafts, so as to form buckets or anges to act upon or raise the seed and discharge the same from the seed-boxes, as set forth. l

3. Securing the plates c of the shovels or shares J to the plates w by means of joints as, substantially as shown, in connection with the staples bx, and wooden pins (ZX, and the slots 0X in the plates o, all arranged to operate as A and for the purpose herein set forth.

HENRY THOMASON.

Vitn esses:

JOHN LooKsTAND, Pn'rnR lfAHNns'ro'cK. 

